Submission (#1609) Approved

Words: 753

After a few hours of walking through brush and bush, the pair stopped at a large clearing. The moon was their ever-changing backdrop as it slowly inched across the sky, even the stars seemed to brighten under their footsteps as they continued forward.

Eclipsa had decided early on to let Spindle guide them forward, her eyes flicking to each side as Spindle held his flashlight steady (or rather his paw didn’t shake too severely). She was vaguely impressed by his pseudo bravery, watching as he pretended to not tremble in front of her. Spindle had always been the easily frightened one, ever hiding behind Eclipsa during their friendship, but tonight it seemed he wanted to put on a brave face.

That is until his flashlight suddenly died.

Spindle yelped in fear and threw himself into Eclipsa’s arms. She sighed softly and patted his back with a firm hand.

He laughed awkwardly, “Oh sorry Eclipsa, I guess that frightened me. You know me, I always had a… discomfort with the dark.” He frantically gestured with his hands as Eclipsa continued to hold him up. “That’s not to say we should turn around, I’m sure that was just a fluke and we do have you lantern.”

She raised a perfectly arched eyebrow.

He looked down at the ground, “I might have forgotten to bring new batteries.”

She took a deep breath and helped Spindle stand up straight. From there, she opened her bag and pulled out her lantern, passing it to Spindle as she grabbed the kerosene container. She was quick to fill her lantern, sparking the fuel to give the pair of them light.

It barely took her thirty seconds.

Spindle watched her with wide eyes, his paws flexing as if he was stopping himself from asking a hundred different questions. Eclipsa had always been good with survival, there wasn’t a day that went by where he had ever doubted her ability.

Eclipsa patted Spindle softly.

He sighed, “I know it’s not my fault I’m scatterbrained, but you have to admit this isn’t the best time to be that. We’re in the dark woods and we need to have all of our supplies working the right way.”

She shook her head, before looking into Spindle’s eyes.

He made a soft sound and nodded, “Okay you’re right, I know you have enough supplies to keep us safe, it’s just frustrating at times. You’re just so good at this.”

She exhaled lowly, grabbing his shoulder as she gave him a little shake.

Spindle smiled, “I guess you’re right; I mean you wouldn’t know what to do in my lab if we traded what we’re good at. I’m just glad you always bring the right supplies, after all we have a few creatures to catch.”

Eclipsa nodded, looking out at the darkening forest. She could never be upset with Spindle, not really, he was just the forgetful type, and it would be a waste of time to get angry. He was trying his best and she couldn’t fault him for that. Besides, he never judged her for being mute and never being able to speak to him when he struggled to understand her. Although nowadays, he always knows what she wanted to say just by looking at her.

Spindle spoke up, “Alright, from where the rumors started, I think we should be close to where the creatures were said to be seen. Even if I’m a little unsure about all of this. Just promise me you won’t leave me behind if there is a big scary monster.”

Eclipsa rolled her eyes and nodded.

Spindle gasped, “What! I couldn’t leave you if there was one!... or well, I wouldn’t mean to, you know how scared I get. But if it’s a giant insect, I promise that I’ll never leave you behind.”

She scoffed.

He laughed shyly, “No I’m not going to try to study it, that’s wildly dangerous and we could get hurt. I’ll just want to look at it and then we can run.”

Eclipsa knew better than to believe that, but she’d let him believe he wouldn’t put himself in dangerous situations to look at a giant bug monster. She was about to give him another look when the bushes beside them rustled loudly.

Spindle yelped once again and hugged onto Eclipsa tightly. She showed no fear as she held him, her eyes looking out at the forest around them. Could what she’s been after finally find her? Would could wait the pair of them tonight?